Search - Jeremy Kay :: Talking to Me

Discovering the Undiscovered

Iceblossom | Seattle, WA | 09/03/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Note: Album name is Talking to Me (not my)



There is so much talent out there that it can be hard to be heard. I've only recently found Jeremy Kay and that was a rather roundabout path. I was looking for a copy of John Cale's version of Hallejuah and found it on a Scrubs soundtrack which I figured would be a good way to hear some different music than my usual collection. "Have it All" by Jeremy Kay was on the same Scrubs album (from Jeremy's 2000 self-titled album) and I was instantly hooked. So when I went to look for the self-titled album, I found out that there was a new album soon to be released and I got that on pre-order.



While "Have it All" has sort of a Jonny Lang sort of appeal to me, the new album does not have the same sort of groove. It's always hard to describe an artist without comparisons to others, there are times when Jeremy's voice reminds me a lot of a young James Taylor, yet with a more soulful and sometimes edgier quality.



I buy a lot of albums on the strength of one song, and I am often disappointed. I liked the self-titled album, but I really like Talking to Me. This was one of the rare albums where I liked the whole thing the first time through. I've played it at least six or seven times now and I still like the entire album. From the first track, "Talking to Me", through to track 4, "I'm Alive" to track 8 "Summer's Gone" to the last track "Best Thing", I'm not tempted to skip a track.



On my checklist,

I like singer/songwriters (check).

I like to be able to "hear the spaces" -- that is I like being able to make out the different instrument lines, I don't like a lot of feedback, or jazz where the point is to cram as many notes into as small a space as possible (check).

I like music I can sing along to (check).





It's well worth a listen."